placing them in a canoe which at once paddled
off. The thief was caught, flogged, and put in irons till the tongs were
returned from the shore. The same tongs were again stolen in the
afternoon, and the thief got away with them, pursued by Edgar, the
Master, in the ship's cutter, and joined by the Resolution's pinnace. The
thief reaching shore first, put the tongs, the lid of a harness cask, and
a chisel in a second canoe which went out, and handed them over to Edgar.
Edgar, seeing Cook and King running along the shore, thought it right to
detain the second canoe, which unfortunately belonged to Parea, who at
the time of the theft was in Clerke's cabin and, promising to obtain the
tongs, had immediately left for the shore. He tried to regain possession
of his canoe, but was knocked down by a sailor, and then some of the
natives, who before this had been quietly looking on, began to throw
stones, and so roughly handled the sailors in the pinnace that, being
unarmed, they beat a retreat, swimming to some rocks out of reach of the
missiles. Edgar and Vancouver remained ashore and fared badly, till
Parea, who had recovered from his blow and apparently forgotten it,
ordered his countrymen to stay their hands, and managed to save the
pinnace from being broken up. He wanted the boats to go back to the
ships, but as the oars had been taken away this was impossible. He then
started to find them, and as soon as his back was turned the throwing
began again. Edgar wished to go to the camp to find Cook, but some of the
natives advised him to follow them and they would take him to Parea. He
soon met him carrying one oar, followed by a man with a broken one, so
they were able to make shift in the boats to the camp, being overtaken on
the way by Parea in his canoe bringing Vancouver's cap, which had been
lost in the scuffle.

Owing to his pursuit of the thief Cook did not hear of all this trouble
till after dark, too late to take any further steps, but King says he
appeared very disturbed by the news, and remarked: "I am afraid these
people will oblige me to use some violent measures, for they must not be
left to imagine that they have gained an advantage over us." He then went
on board his ship and ordered all natives ashore, whilst King returned to
the camp, and doubling his sentries, gave orders he was to be called if
any natives were seen about. At eleven, five were seen hovering near, but
when they found they were observed they ma